Whether your studio or gym is in a small town or big city, it is important to make your community feel like you care. Creating opportunities to give to local charities is a great way to grow closer to your community and a fun way to get your clients involved. Here are a few easy, but immensely rewarding, examples of how your studio can give back!
Food or water drives
Co-Founder Lisa Juliet’s Studio BFF in Mesa, AZ organized a canned-food drive last November. Food drives are popular during the holiday season, but don’t limit your time for giving. Bottled water drives are good for when the warmer weather starts to kick in. Plan a drive and donate the collection to your local food bank. Set a goal with your staff and clients. Give everyone updates on the goal to get them excited.
Pick a local charity and donate items
IBBFA-certified instructor Christina Zarnowski and her Milwaukee Barre District lifestyle studio says they pick a new charity each month and find ways to get involved as a studio. “We choose charities we can collect items for over money,” she says. “Our last drive was collecting Legos for a local school that helps children with autism.”
Keep an eye out for local news
Keeping an eye on local news is a good way to find people who need your help. When the Blood Center of Wisconsin issued an emergency because of shortage of donations in March, Barre District encouraged clients to donate blood through a special promotion. Anyone who donated blood could receive a free week on unlimited classes. there are many such ways
Awareness months
Find out which months are awareness months for causes you and your studio care most about. Some examples are Breast Cancer Awareness in October or Autism Awareness in April. Create special month-long promotions or find local charities that correspond with the cause to donate to.
Ask your clients for ideas
Your clients are bound to have causes, charities and nonprofit organizations that are near and dear to their hearts. Ask them what charitable opportunity they would like to see at the studio. If they would like to help organize it, the better. Encouraging your clients to get involved makes it all the more special.
You are more than just a studio, you are a part of a community. Organizing these charitable opportunities through your studio helps your neighbors get to know you more.
“Picking monthly charities helps us to expand our love past our studio doors,” Christina of Barre District says. “We enjoy helping others, it’s as simple as that.”
Barre Studio Community Initiatives embody the essence of giving back and fostering connection within our communities. Through these initiatives, barre studios extend their reach beyond fitness, creating meaningful impact and building stronger bonds with their neighbors.
